I can spot a rookie from a mile away. Which makes it very easy to recognize a seasoned professional. I’ve been a bike messenger, on & off, since May 12, 1997 and I’ve been hanging out in bars, on & off since August 25, 1987.
Of Bartenders and Messengers I speak. Two vocations close to my heart. Two vocations I’ve spent some time observing. On & Off, but mostly on.
Mostly on.
There is something attractive about naïve, virgin, bumbling cluelessness. But confidence, intelligence and experience are sexy. Given the choice I’ll go with the pro every time. The choreography, efficiency and energy of a professional create a beautiful dance. No wasted movement. No backtracking. Carving graceful lines through the chaos, taking care of several things along the way. Making it look easy. It is easy at times. It gets that way after 10 years. But to the untrained eye it looks as if the pro is slacking, cruising, moving slow. These untrained eyes also see the rookies moving quickly, expending lots of energy and assume they’re working hard. But the truth is the rookies are working hard on not much at all, working hard on stupid little shit that the pros would do without thinking if the rookie wasn’t in the way, taking up space, collecting a paycheck.
When the shit goes down and the work cranks up, so does the pro, taking it to another level, the next gear, getting it on. The efficiency and production go way up. The work gets done correctly, on-time. The rookie continues to crank at the same pace, appearing to be working just as hard, but fucking up important details when the pressure is on.
Getting it there efficiently, doing it right the first time, is a whole lot faster than getting it there in two minutes and fucking it up. That was an Ex Parte by Noon, now try to go back and fix it. Ex Parte is closed until 1:30. That was a veggie burger with bacon, now try to go back and fix it. The customer’s lunch break is over.
I respect rookies, I used to be one. I enjoy watching them, seeing their confidence grow, charting their progress, noting changes in style. The learning curve is steep and in just a few weeks a new body language is displayed, a new confidence gained.
It’s all very interesting, unless I’m on a tight schedule and I have to work with them, wait for them, or mop up their mess, then it gets annoying and I start to forget where I came from and worry about where I need to be.
What time is it?
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down would've totally Omaha'd Xiu Xiu last night but they're all from the Bay Area and the show was at Chop Suey.
Thao kicks ass and could have filled the place unplugged solo.
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